Performance of Rapid Malaria PF Antigen Test for the Diagnosis of Malaria and False-Reactivity with Autoantibodies

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Abstract
While early diagnosis and treatment of parasitemia caused by Plasmodium spp. is vital for the control of malaria, one of the most prevalent parasitic diseases worldwide, this disease presents a diagnostic challenge to laboratories in most countries. Microscopic examination of thick blood film is currently the standard method for malaria diagnosis. The method is relatively simple and has low direct costs, but its reliability and cost-effectiveness are questionable, particularly at low levels of parasitemia (i.e. density) and in the interpretation of mixed infections (Molyneux and Fox, 1993; World Heath Organization, 1996).